Islamabad, May 30 (EFE).- Four Pakistanis were killed and two others were injured after Iranian border guards opened fire at a vehicle in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistani officials said Thursday.
The shooting occurred on Tuesday in the mountainous region of Jodar Bacharani, about 60 km from the sub-district headquarters of Mashkel, along the Pakistan-Iran border.
“Four people have been killed and two others injured in firing by Iranian border forces on Tuesday night,” Assistant Commissioner Asfand Yar told EFE.
He said investigation is ongoing.
Mashkel, a border region known for smuggling activities, sees the daily movement of Iranian oil, edibles, and other products into Pakistan, the official said.
A senior government official confirmed that those killed were smugglers. “It was smugglers who were countered by the Iranian side. We have no issues on the border with Iran,” the official told EFE, requesting anonymity.
Iran and Pakistan have a history of unstable relations marked by border tensions.
Iran accuses militant groups of using Pakistani soil to launch attacks inside Iran, while Pakistan claims that Baloch insurgents take refuge in Iran to carry out attacks against Pakistan.
Relations between the two countries strained in January after tit-for-tat strikes, resulting in the deaths of 12 people on both sides.
Both nations stated they were targeting militant hideouts in each other’s border regions.
Following these incidents, Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Tehran and decided not to allow his counterpart to return to Islamabad, canceling all high-level diplomatic and trade engagements.
In late April, the then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a chopper crash earlier this month, visited Pakistan in an effort to mend ties after the unprecedented military strikes.
In early April, four Pakistani soldiers were killed in a militant attack along the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan’s Kech district, according to the military. EFE
